Please eat the exhibits

Huai'an's traditional braised eel uses only the backs of those about the size of a chopstick, because they are the tastiest. Photos by Ye Jun / China Daily

Huai'an residents believe their foods are museum-caliber, and a proud chef has come to the capital to convince Beijingers, Ye Jun reports.

A cuisine style considered so important that locals created a museum for it has to be worth trying. Cai Guobin, a 37-year-old from Huai'an, Jiangsu province, is executive chef with China Huaiyang Cuisine Cultural Museum. He is working as a guest chef at a Huaiyang food event at the Red Chamber Chinese Restaurant, China World Summit Wing Beijing until Aug 25. "Huaiyang cuisine has several hundred years of history. The local government places a lot of importance on it. More than 10 gourmet festivals have been held," says Cai, who has worked for 21 years as a cook.

The museum, according to Cai, has 8,000 square meters for displays that include local wedding customs, the story of Huaiyang cuisine, and a history of the regional salt business.

The name Huaiyang comes from the initial characters of Huai'an and Yangzhou, but the concept of Huaiyang cuisine is already extended to include food styles of the nearby area. The cuisine immediately relates to Huai'an, Yangzhou and Zhenjiang, cities on the path of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, a lifeline of transportation in ancient China. A flourishing salt business brought prosperity to the area, giving rising to beautiful gardens and a gourmet cuisine.

In modern times, Huai'an has been the hometown of some famous people, too. These include China's late premier, Zhou Enlai, and Wu Cheng'en, author of Journey to the West. Apart from the cultural displays, the museum has two kitchens serving classic and new dishes of Huaiyang style.